Tag: WPA

Fun Fact: The Old Gum Springs at McHenry

From W.P.A. for Mississippi Historical Research

Project: Stone County , Aug. 3, 1937

Written by  Mrs. Charles E. Wells

 The Old Gum Springs at McHenry

“L.B. Goddard bought the old Perry Bond house about 24 years (1913) ago.  The Old Gum Springs were there then and are yet.  A little branch trickles along and the springs are under a little embankment.  It was a favorite place for the Goddard children to play.  There are also other springs in the vicinity.  When Dr. Pafford owned the place, after the Goddards, his wife had an artificial pond made, fed by these springs, with the thought of making a recreational resort at the place.  This pond can still be seen from the new U.S. 49 which is slightly east of the main town of McHenry.

The story of the Copeland gang camping at these springs, is a common tradition in McHenry.  But there is some confusion of dates.  If this house was built when they (camped there),  it is older than 75 years, for Copeland was hanged in 1857.  Only an exhaustive search of land records would reveal the exact date of the homesteading.”

Interview with Mrs. L.B. Goddard

For more information about the Copeland Gang, check out these links below:

http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Copeland_Gang.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Copeland_%28outlaw%29

Fun Fact: Points of Interest in Perkinston – 1939

W.P.A. RESEARCH PROJECT   1939

By Mrs. C.E. Wells

One page of the project report describes  Points of Interest  in Perkinston.

“The farm owned by the Agricultural College is of outstanding interest, noted for the manner in which it is operated and the number of dairy cattle maintained.

A short distant west of town there are numbers of acres being developed in the Tung Oil Industry, the tung nuts being crushed for the oil which is used in making paint.

A brick factory is located in the environs of the town to the south.  Very fine clay is found in this section, suitable for the making of brick, tile, pottery and for moulding clays of all sorts.

The outstanding feature of Perkinston is the Harrison-Jackson-Stone Agricultural High School and Junior College.  Perkinston has an excellent public school, featuring the grammar grades, which has long been a feeder for the Agricultural High School.

West of town stands the “Little Brown Church” , Baptist, a wooden structure.”

Fun Fact: Bill Sawyer

From the W.P.A. Research Project

Subject:  Local Press and Other Publications

During the year of 1919, a person known to the readers of  the Stone County Enterprise only as Bill Sawyer  wrote some very interesting and entertaining letters to the paper. Mr. Sawyer ‘s true  identity was never established except , perhaps by the editor of the paper.

Below is an excerpt of Bill Sawyer’s entertaining letters to the paper.  Date: June 21, 1919

Bill  wrote that a reader had asked him why he didn’t get into politics and he gave his reply. He said he had “throwed his hat in the ring “several years ago and made a race for a county office.  At the beginning of the race, he decided to keep a close tab on everything he did and what it cost him.  He wrote it all down in little black book.  Here are some of the items he listed:

Lost 4 months, 23 days canvassing

Lost 1,1013 hours of sleep thinking about the election

Lost 23 acres of corn and my entire potato crop

Donated $11.00 to church and other charities

Gave away 2 pair of suspenders, 4 calico dresses, and 13 baby rattlers

Kissed 123 babies

Kindled 100 kitchen stoves

Cut eleven cords of wood,

Walked 920 miles

Shook hands 986 times

Told 10,101 lies and talked enough to make, in print, 1,000 volumes the size of a patent office report

Got baptised 4 different times by “emersion” and sprinkled twice

Gave $50.00 to foreign mission

Got dog bit 39 times

And then got defeated.

Fun Fact: Young Men’s Business Club

From W.P.A. Research Project

Subject: Stone County

(This was written around 1937.)

Young Men’s Business Club

The Young Men’s Business Club was formed in 1935 by some young business and professional men of Wiggins and Stone County for the purpose of developing a civic and industrial improvement program (similar to a Chamber of Commerce).

“The Business Club is a local organization and is not affiliated with any national organization.  Small monthly dues are paid by each member.  Applicants are carefully selected and investigated before being voted into membership.  It was mainly through efforts of the club members, that the W.P.A.S. Gymnasium Building was built in Wiggins, as they sponsored the project for the erection of same.  The building was completed several months ago and has been of great benefit to entire county, for athletic events, exhibits of different kinds, etc.”